It seems that with ritualization of festivals and emergence of holiday concept, their deep spiritual significance of divinization of human life is getting lost.

Grandeur and glamorization of festivals like Ganesha
Chaturthi has turned the festival into more of a holiday fun activity
rather than a meaningful occasion and opportunity to self-reflect and
live wisely.

The symbolic representation of the qualities and
values of Lord Ganesha is never demystified on the occasion of
Ganesha Chaturthi to make a shift toward the exalted state of
self-realization. For example Lord Ganesha symbolizes wisdom and
thoughtful beginning of a venture, but no deep thought is given to
aspect of life.

It needs to be understood that wisdom comes through
ethical actions, independent thinking, and openness to fresh ideas
and self-reflection. Wisdom helps us to discriminate between right
and wrong; permanent and impermanent; real and unreal. Lord Ganesha
stands for attaining wisdom by striving for and honing it with
practice and self-reflection.

Lord Ganesha signifies that attaining wisdom and
striving for soul-seeking must come first; thereafter one should
enjoy worldly life. The occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi afford an
opportunity to remember what Lord Ganesha stands for and rekindle
ourselves in our search for divinity or self-realization while doing
our worldly duties.

It has been rightly said by Confucius, "By
three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is
noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by
experience, which is the bitterest."

Lord Ganesha stands for the noblest way of attaining
wisdom. Endorsing the importance of wisdom, George Bernard Shaw had
warned that lack of wisdom leads to 'false knowledge' which is 'more
dangerous than ignorance'. According to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years
ago.

Hoping this Ganesha Chatrurthi will be the start of
year with wisdom that brings happiness in life,